Random House kills a book about Muhammad

On Wednesday the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed column by Asra Nomani on a novel about one of Muhammad’s wives that was to be published this year by Random House. In May Random House killed publication of the book when it was warned not only that “publication of this book might be offensive to some in the Muslim community, but also that it could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment.” Random House decided not to proceed with publication out of concern for “the safety of the author, employees of Random House, booksellers and anyone else who would be involved in distribution and sale of the novel.”

UPDATE: Diana West breaks the silence in her column, and comments further here. She asks: “Has anyone noticed? Does anyone–say, editorial writers, free speech advocates, city fathers, the PTA, Congress or maybe even our two presidential hopefuls–even care?”